Studying & Adventuring

What is the first thing many of us do when we sit down to write a piece of work? Put on a playlist of course! When the piece of work you are tackling needs your concentration you require just the right playlist to not take away your attention but also to not put you to sleep. So I have come up with a short playlist of some mellow songs to help you breeze through that next piece of work! It is the perfect length of time (approximately half an hour) to have a solid writing session and then when the playlist is over reward yourself with a short break and go for a walk, or check Instagram or come back on dr.ofwhat ! Go put on the kettle, untangle your headphones and get ready to write! Whole Wide World- Bahamas This song will make you want to go and get on a plane to Tahiti… wait there are sharks, dolphins and wifi in Tahiti right? Webjet here I come! Bloom- The Paper Kites Do you want to feel like you are sleeping in a field of flowers surrounded by butterflies? I am assuming yes? So listen up! All your favourite bands- Dawes “may all your favourite bands stay together” – I will forever wish this upon all of you Romeo & Juliet- Dire straights For me this song reminds me of my beautiful sister because it is her favourite song, for you […]

I get frequent befuddled looks when I explain to family and friends what my PhD topic is. “How are you studying sharks and dolphins when you do psychology?” they all ask. I am also sure that during these conversations their minds begin to imagine a shark laying down on a couch being psychoanalysed. The first answer to this question is […]

Wednesday word of the Week I thought it would be beneficial to have a ‘Wednesday word of the week’ each week as I know I always struggle to find that synonym that is just right for what you are trying to say. We can all try to use each Wednesday word of the week in any piece of writing they are currently working on. This weeks (8th of June) Wednesday word of the Week: Cognisant (or cognizant): Having knowledge or awareness. #wedwordweek

A wise person once told me- “there is no productivity without coffee”- okay so I whisper this to myself every morning as I drink my one (or two) cups of coffee whilst answering emails (but I stand by the wise title!). If you are a person who survives without a morning caffeine kick then kudos to you! When I finished my […]

To optimise your productivity, I strongly believe having a bright pinboard full of inspiration in your work space is key. An important addition to any pinboard is an inspirational quote for you to look at instead of you computer screen (irony at its finest). Here are some quotes (including some originals!) that you should print out and pin up immediately! 1) “& promise me you will shine in any universe you are orbiting in.” 2) “Your profession is not what brings home the weekly pay check, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that is becomes spiritual in calling” – Vincent Van Gogh 3) “It always seems impossible until it’s done”– Nelson Mandela 4) “There is plenty of sunshine between sunrise and sunset” 5) “I began to realise how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all became passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.”– Roald Dahl 6) “Go to bed every night being grateful for something that happened in that day and excited for something happening the next day.” 7) “I’m still learning”– Michelangelo What is your favourite inspirational quote? #pinboardinspo

If you asked me two years ago where I would be now, I never in a million years would have said sitting at my desk every week day reading journal articles and writing a proposal for an 80,000 word thesis. But guess what, that is exactly what I am doing- and even crazier I enjoy it! Let me get back on track… to answer why a PhD I have to go back to the source of why psychology. When I was choosing my year 11 subjects at school I had one spot to fill and it was actually my wonderful mum that suggested psychology. I absolutely loved psychology in both year 11 and year 12 and dreamed of being a clinical psychologist (at this point that was all I thought psychology was). So, when I was offered my first choice at university- a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) that was what I went off to study. The question “what do you want to be when you’re older” sends shivers down that spine of many high school students. However, for me it was worse- all through my last year of high school I knew what I wanted to do. It was not until I started studying psychology that doubt arose and I genuinely could no longer answer that question. Did I want to be a psychologist? A teacher? A journalist? All these options crossed my mind, so much so that I was going […]